cartridge of choice.

[YoungNVHunter]

Great topic, had to show it to my wife. Before her Elk hunt she was questioning her .270 as being enough bang and all the chest beaters at her work kept telling her she needed a bigger caliber. I kept telling her with the right bullet and shot placement her .270 would be just fine. Well she proved that last week. I sport a .30-06 and she is deadly with the .270 so I doubt we will ever need anything else.

 

[2rocky]

In 1990, I bought my one and only large caliber rifle. I still have it, and I found the Federal premium cartridges with Nosler Partitions shoots Minute of Elk. Unless I go to Africa I will need no other rifle for anything in North America.

My choice was the .300 win mag, but anything .270 and above will do the job.

 

[ERSS]

I shot a .300 win mag for years, but migrated to a .270 WSM about 5 years ago. Deadly accurate and with 140 grain accubonds, just plain deadly. Fun and easy to shoot. Probably going to try some Berger VLD 130 loads this winter just for kicks. I don't think there is much out there that the .270 is not enough gun for.

 

[Brandenbowhunter]

.270 is plenty, it is the next gun on my list to have for when my son starts hunting. I have a 300rum and a .243win, I would shoot elk with both. That is only, because I shoot both well, but they 300ultra is my pack all for everything. If you shoot the .270 well, plenty of gun.
To that Ruger Amercian .270 mentioned earlier, I have that in the .243win..they are shooters. My .270 win will be in the American also...toped with another Leupold!

 

[Bambistew]

IIRC, Jack O took fewer than 10 elk with a 270. Not sure that really qualifies him as an "expert" elk hunter.

 

[Sawtooth]

What happens at 351 yards?

I sneak in to within my comfort range of approximately 300 yards and I shoot him with my 270 Win. "cannon".

 

[Oak]

I should clarify that I'd choose the .30 or .33 over your .270. Just pointing out that the .270 will work. I've killed all my elk in the last 14 years with a .300 Wby.

 

[seahuntr]

270 worked for my wife too. 20 feet and dead with good placement and nosler partitions. The only reason I don't have a 270 is that I couldn't find a pre 64 featherweight in that caliber at the time. My 06 fw is the only gun I have/ever will have.


http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showthread.php?t=256854

 

[thecrittergitter]

No SSTs on elk. At least, I wouldn't risk it with the reports I've heard.

Nosler Partitions and Accubonds are reliable bullets for killing elk. And the Accubonds should shoot nearly as well if not better than the SSTs.

I've shot 4 elk with the SST's.........Did the job but there are better bullets for kllling elk for sure. If you like ht Hornady SST's, just shoot the interbond, in fact, i think they have a bonded SST now.

My dad killed probably 20+ elk in early years with a .243 win. Not saying its the best caliber for elk, sayin if you take good shots, have a good bullet, a guy can be pretty deadly with a favorite rifle.....

 

[jryoung]

IIRC, Jack O took fewer than 10 elk with a 270. Not sure that really qualifies him as an "expert" elk hunter.

What? Has the lore of JO and the 270 been overstated? (serious question, I had never heard this detail before).

 

[Duck-Slayer]

So many haters on the SST? Why, sounds like most just heard they are too fragile... Fragile=Damage which = Dead..... For the last 10 years my wife, dad and I have killed a ton of animals with the 130 gr. SST out of our TC .270, and it's performed flawless out too 516 yards so far, my wife killed 2 cow elk with it the last 2 years, 1 was a huge 10+ year old cow. Biggest I've seen, high shoulder at 306, dropped dead in her tracks, and a beautiful 170 muley buck, dad shot a 184 buck, ton of other deer and a ton of antelope... Like mentioned be proficient with whatever weapon you choose and hit where you aim, good rest and range finder... Shot placement, can't go wrong with the high shoulder shot.... also be aware of you bullets BC, higher BC the better, that being said the 150gr SST has a nice 525 BC, which I may switch too but the 130gr. at 465 I think is doing just fine out too 700 on deer/antelope and 500 on elk, which is a freak'n long ways...
Matt

 

[Ben Lamb]

So many haters on the SST? Why, sounds like most just heard they are too fragile... Fragile=Damage which = Dead..... For the last 10 years my wife, dad and I have killed a ton of animals with the 130 gr. SST out of our TC .270, and it's performed flawless out too 516 yards so far, my wife killed 2 cow elk with it the last 2 years, 1 was a huge 10+ year old cow. Biggest I've seen, high shoulder at 306, dropped dead in her tracks, and a beautiful 170 muley buck, dad shot a 184 buck, ton of other deer and a ton of antelope... Like mentioned be proficient with whatever weapon you choose and hit where you aim, good rest and range finder... Shot placement, can't go wrong with the high shoulder shot....
Matt

I've taken a number of animals with SST's and went back to the standard interlock. Didn't like picking fragments out of everything. They kill deer deader than snot, but I prefer a little tougher bullet.

 

[MKotur325]

Confidence is one of the biggest prerequisites for a hunting rifle. A .270win with a 140+gr Bonded or controlled expansion bullet is a fine Elk Cartridge. DON"T USE Cheap Ammo!! Personally, I prefer to shoot something that will support a 180gr or heavier slug for elk. If you are comfortable with the .338 There is no such thing as Too much rifle for Elk. My call would be the larger of the rifles that you are comfortable shooting, and confident it.

Most of the stories about "Super Elk" are based around elk with adrenaline in their systems. Both of the Elk I've seen that were surprisingly strong were shot with a .338WM. Just happened to be what my hunting partner was carrying. One took 6 lethal hits from a .338 before it gave up. It was the second bull shot out of a group and had a chance to get that big rush of adrenaline from the first shot. The second bull was hit poorly with the first round, and proved to be very tough after that. I don't think the situation would have changed if either bull was shot with a lighter caliber. Both Elk were dead and just didn't agree with the diagnosis.

My thoughts on an elk rifle are that I want something that can take a shot at steep quartering angles or broadside from 0 yds to 400-500yds. I also like to break shoulders, and greatly prefer for a bullet to exit. I would probably step up to one of the Win Mags, which ever you are more comfortable with.

 

[MKotur325]

So many haters on the SST? Why, sounds like most just heard they are too fragile... Fragile=Damage which = Dead

Fragile also=Less Penetration Which with elk can=not fun. Hence the Interbond. Fragile is a trade off. You are trading more energy transfer for less penetration. The issues I've seen with the SST have not been at longer ranges, but all have been inside 100yds. I don't doubt that an SST will kill an elk at 516yds with proper placement. I do doubt the penetration vs upset balance with impact velocities over 2900fps. I don't ever want to pass a shot on an elk because I'm too close. I want to know 100% that I can break a front shoulder and continue through both lungs from any quartering angles at any range I will comfortably shoot.

 

[noharleyyet]

Both Elk were dead and just didn't agree with the diagnosis.

Well said, as were your last two posts.

 

[EagleEye]

Agree, a .270 with good placement will get the job done. On the bullet front, if you like the SSTs you should try the Interbonds. Great bullet with very similar properties to the SST except it is bonded. I've downed a lot of game near and far with the Interbond and never had a problem with expansion of weight retention.

 

[MKotur325]

What? Has the lore of JO and the 270 been overstated? (serious question, I had never heard this detail before).

The .270 was introduce in the mid 1920's in response to the 7X57Mauser. After WWI american hunters didn't want to use metric cartridges, especially german ones. The 7mm Mauser had appeal as a flatter shooting alternative to the .30-06 loadings of the time. Winchester capitalized on this by dropping the diamater slightly, increasing velocity to levels previously unseen in American cartridges. To this day, cartridges with a metric designation do not sell as well as inch based cartridges.

From My understanding, Jack preferred the .270 for Thin Skinned game in open country. It was also his Go To Sheep rifle. He had at least 2 Custom .270's a 54 and a pre64 both done by Al Biesen. The second was a Sub MOA rifle, which in the late 50's was nearly unheard of. It was also on the light side of his common hunting cartridges. He was also a proponent of the 7mm Mauser, .300WM, .300WBY, and .338WM for use on Western Game. He was also one of the main early supporters for Nosler's Partition. At the time, O'Connor was probably the best known hunting celeb in the US. As far as writers go, it helps that Jack O'Connor was a former College English Teacher, with a gift writing. It would be kinda like there were only 2 or 3 hunting shows available today, and only one was any good. Hunters are going to idolize and buy whatever those hosts shoot. The .270's he had built were some of his favorite guns to carry and hunt with, but by no means the exclusive rifles he used.

Is the lore overrated? Is the Cartridge Overrated? Not my place to say. From '06-2010 I worked in the hunting department of a sporting goods store. Even 30 years after he passed I had people tell me that they wanted to by a .270 because it worked for Jack O'Connor. His legacy has created support for the .270 for decades and likely will continue to for decades into the future. That part is not up for debate in my mind.

 

[junior88]

shot placement, shot placement, shot placement, shot placement. nuff said

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Fragile also=Less Penetration Which with elk can=not fun. Hence the Interbond. Fragile is a trade off. You are trading more energy transfer for less penetration. The issues I've seen with the SST have not been at longer ranges, but all have been inside 100yds. I don't doubt that an SST will kill an elk at 516yds with proper placement. I do doubt the penetration vs upset balance with impact velocities over 2900fps. I don't ever want to pass a shot on an elk because I'm too close. I want to know 100% that I can break a front shoulder and continue through both lungs from any quartering angles at any range I will comfortably shoot.

All it has too do is get through one shoulder... Have you opened an animal shot with a 130 gr SST? It's soup on the inside, pretty sure there not going anywhere with lung soup?, also as far as fragmentation it's perfect... But I do my own processing so I don't have too worry about eating fragments...
Matt

 

[MKotur325]

All it has too do is get through one shoulder... Have you opened an animal shot with a 130 gr SST? It's soup on the inside, pretty sure there not going anywhere with lung soup?
Matt

Just a heads up. I tend to be quite opinionated. These are my opinions only.

Begin Rant

I have not opened up a critter shot with a 130SST, but a few years ago I did run into a really odd situation with a Mule Deer and a 150SST out of a .300WSM. The deer was shot initially at approx 40yds. Placement was on the back of the shoulder from broadside. The bullet completely fragged on the skin. We could not find a shard of bullet that penetrated the rib cage, it also did not deflate the lungs or perforate the pleural cavity. We tracked that deer between 400-500yds. The second shot was placed on the skull between the ear and the eye. It killed the deer, but would not even penetrate through the skull. Shot distance was within 10yds. Impact velocities on both impacts would have been in excess of 3150fps. I have no qualms with SST's at impact velocities below 2850-2900fps. For me, Its not JUST SST's, I have seen similar results with Nosler Ballistic Tips and Speer Hot Cor's. I have no qualms about bonded slugs for impacts up to 3100-3200fps. I know of similar experiences from close friends with bonded bullets fragging at impacts beyond 3150.

As far a penetration goes, from memory its about 32" from hide to hide across the chest of a Bull Elk. From what I remember its about 7" from the hide to the ribs through the shoulder, 1.5-2" of ribs on each side plus the pleural cavity(about 14" at the shoulders). My goal is for the slug to Exit the pleural cavity. That is at bare minimum 18" past the shoulder, assuming a full broadside shot. Total of 23" of penetration to the far side of the pleural cavity. I prefer having an exit wound, but it's not necessary.

The reason that I shoot bonded bullets is: They upset less over the first 4-6" and dump the energy further in to the animal than a Ballistic tip or an SST. I have not seen any difficulties with penciling through deer or antelope personally with Bonded slugs. I know there are stories out there like that. Minimum expansion velocity is Higher with a Bonded slug. Typically 1800-2000fps vs 1500-1600 for unbonded. They hold together better, and that will lead to deeper penetration, and for my taste; I would rather overpenetrate and exit the animal, that underpenetrate and not carry sufficient energy to the vitals.

The long and the short of it is, there is no perfect bullet. I tend to swing to the larger heavier bonded slugs; consider it an insurance policy to have the extra weight, and extra penetration.

End Rant